Child rapist seen in photos in bag he donated is sentenced

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison under a plea deal after prosecutors say an Ohio thrift store worker found photos in a tote bag he’d donated of him sexually assaulting a toddler.

The Columbus Dispatch reports 49-year-old Gary Sovie pleaded guilty to rape and pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor.

He also was sentenced Thursday to the maximum fine of $35,000 plus court costs. He will have to register as a sex offender.

Prosecutors say a Salvation Army worker in Columbus found 32 photos, some showing a naked girl and others showing a man sexually assaulting the child.

Authorities identified Sovie because the bag contained his paystubs and mail. They say he told them he’s a “very sick person.”

Sovie apologized in court.

The child’s mother told CBS Columbus affiliate WBNS-TV in June she “never suspected this. She has no memory. She has no recollection of this incident. I was beside myself. This was my child. This was my whole world.”

The woman estimated for the Disptach that her daughter was 16 to 18 months old when the photos were taken, perhaps as early as 1999.